College of Education and Counseling

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Introduction

The College of Education and Counseling offers programs leading to initial certification, continuing growth, and professional development for teachers, administrators, and counselors. The College designs and teaches its courses to promote student construction and generation of knowledge that will be useful to them in their lives and in their professional world. The College of Education and Counseling also offers a B.S. Degree in Aviation with specializations Aviation Education, Aviation Management, and Aviation Maintenance Management.

Governance Structure
The College of Education and Counseling is the unit within SDSU that is primarily responsible for the preparation of teachers and other professional education personnel including administrators and counselors in a variety of settings. All professional education and counseling programs are organized, unified, coordinated, monitored, and governed by the unit. The Dean of the College serves as Director of Teacher Education and reports directly to the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Dean has decision-making responsibilities and authority for the overall administration and operation of the unit. The Dean works closely with three departments and the Teacher Education Faculty which consists of SDSU faculty across campus who teach professional education courses in the various content areas.

Mission
The mission of the College of Education and Counseling is: To develop students’ ability to construct knowledge, skills, and dispositions fundamental to providing excellent teaching, counseling, and leadership for South Dakota, the region and beyond.

The Constructivist Framework
The faculty of the College of Education and Counseling has established Constructivism as a unifying framework, Collaboration as the model, and Professional Excellence as the expectation of our own faculty and our graduates. We hold that:

• Knowledge is constructed. Individuals and groups construct their understandings of the world about them.
• Learning is a collaborative and active process for both constructing knowledge and establishing an effective learning environment.
• Professional excellence in teaching demands learner-centered instruction. We expect that from our faculty and our candidates alike.

Unit Goals

1. Prepare students to teach in middle and secondary schools.
2. Provide for the continuing growth of classroom teachers, administrators, and counselors, and other school service personnel through summer school sessions and off-campus courses, and instruction offered online and through other technological means.
3. Provide coursework and degree programs at the graduate level designed for school administrators, counselors, classroom teachers, specialized school workers, and related occupations.
4. Cooperate and collaborate with the South Dakota Department of Education in public school curriculum revision, in-service education, and educational research.
5. Cooperate and collaborate with professional education, administration, and counseling associations in advancing the quality and welfare of education and counseling in the State of South Dakota and throughout the United States.
6. Organize and conduct conferences and workshops for the improvement of education, administration, and counseling in South Dakota.
7. Provide consultant services to schools and agencies of the state.

Preparation for Teaching
Individuals considering a career in education should have personal attributes and interpersonal skills appropriate for working with people. Also these individuals should have an adequate general education background, usually attained in the first two years of college, along with a major in the subject they expect to teach.
In addition, the College recommends that coursework in subjects outside of the major be pursued. Many teachers are required to teach in more than one area of specialization. With the No Child Left Behind legislation, they will be expected to be adequately prepared in each area in which they wish to teach to qualify as a Highly Qualified Teacher.

Expertise in directing one or several extra-curricular activities may also be beneficial. Students should see their education advisers early in order to plan the necessary coursework.

Departments

Counseling and Human Resource Development
Educational Leadership
Teacher Education

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Science in Education – Career and Technical Education
Bachelor of Science in Aviation
Master of Education*
Master of Science*

* Graduate degrees are offered in collaboration with the Graduate School. For details, see the Graduate Catalog.

Accreditations

National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs (NCATE)
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
South Dakota Department of Education

Programs

The College of Education and Counseling’s chief undergraduate purpose is teacher education in the following areas: Agricultural Education, Art, Aviation, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English, Family and Consumer Sciences Education, Journalism, Modern Language – German and Spanish and French Studies, Geography, Health and Physical Education, History, Mathematics, Music – Instrumental and Vocal, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Speech, and Career and Technical Education.

The Graduate Programs in Education are designed to provide professional preparation beyond the Bachelor’s degree. The programs include the following options:

1. M.Ed. – Curriculum and Instruction
2. M.Ed. – Educational Administration
3. M.S. – Counseling and Human Resource Development with emphases in Community (Agency) Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, School Counseling, Agency Counseling, or Student Personnel Services.

For further information consult the Graduate Catalog.

For a statement of specific requirements for the different administrators’ certificates, the student should write the South Dakota Department of Education or consult with the Dean of the College of Education and Counseling.

Career and Technical Education

The Bachelor of Science in Career and Technical Education prepares candidates to teach in high school, multi-district, or postsecondary vocational programs. People who have completed a technical specialty at one of the area’s technical schools, or have occupational experience, or plan to complete a technical specialty at SDSU are eligible for this program. To attain certification, candidates must meet the certification requirements of the State Department of Education. Individuals completing the Aviation specialty must meet FAA requirements.

Many candidates who enroll in this program currently teach technical education, but do not hold a baccalaureate degree. Classes are offered through a combination of delivery methods including on-campus, offcampus, telecommunications and via the Dakota Digital Network (DDN). For more information please contact the department of Teacher Education.

Aviation

The Bachelor of Science in Aviation offers three aviation specializations. They are Aviation Education, Aviation Management, and Aviation Maintenance Management.

The Aviation Education specialization is focused on students who wish to become Certified Flight Instructors. This specialization requires a student to obtain pilot certificates from the private pilot through flight instructor. Graduates of this option often become flight instructors for the very program they progressed through. Many graduates are in the airline, military, and corporate workplace.

The Aviation Management specialization is focused on students who wish to someday operate their own aviation business. Students obtain pilot certificates from the private pilot through commercial. The Certified Flight Instructor is not required for graduation, and there is a strong emphasis on business related courses.

The Aviation Maintenance specialization is focused on students who someday wish to fix and maintain aircraft. SDSU has partnered with approved FAA A&P programs across the United States to offer a four year degree. Students will go through maintenance training at the school and then come to SDSU to finish the degree requirements.

Admission to Teacher Education (in 22 subjects areas)

The coursework for teacher education is divided into three professional semesters. In addition, once one has finished the professional sequence, he/she must be recommended for certification to teach in South Dakota. The requirements for each are as follows:

Admission into Professional Semester I:
In order to register for the two courses of Professional Semester I (PS-I), a candidate must be at least a sophomore at the beginning of the semester in which he/she is taking the PS-I courses.

Admission into Professional Semester II:
Candidates admitted into Professional Semester II are considered members of the Teacher Education Program and are classified as “Education Candidates.” In order to achieve this status, a candidate must have:

1. achieved a junior status at the University;
2. completed PS-I with grades of “C” or better and be recommended by PS-I faculty;
3. hold an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher;
4. completed PSYC 101, SOC 100 or SOC 150, with a grade of “C” or better;
5. met competency requirements:
   
   • English: a grade of “C” or above in ENGL 101 or credit by examination (or a national percentile ranking of 50 or above on the ACT Assessment “English Usage”)
   • Math: a grade of “C” or above in MATH 102 or 104 or a higher level math course or credit by examination (or a national percentile rating of 50 or above on the ACT Assessment “Mathematics Usage”) 
   • Speech: A grade of “C” or above in SPCM 101, Fundamentals of Speech or a higher level Speech course or credit by examination;
6. completed an application for Admission to Teacher Education which includes appropriate biographical and background information; and
7. have a current transcript on file in the Education Office.

Admittance into Professional Semester III:
Education candidates will be permitted to register for the courses of Professional Semester III if they have:

1. achieved senior standing at the University;
2. achieved a passing score on the Praxis Content Exam;
3. been admitted to the Teacher Education Program and successfully completed all standard requirements therein (or alternatives decided by the Admissions and Scholastic Standards Committee);
4. successfully completed all prerequisite coursework for the professional education program, including one special methods course* in a major field, the South Dakota Indian Studies requirement, and the computer proficiency requirement; 
5. have the following minimum GPA’s:
   
   • Education courses 2.8
   • All courses completed at the “c” level or above
   • Courses in the major 2.6
   • Overall cumulative 2.5 or
   • completed all competency plans and/or other activities prescribed by the Admissions and Scholastic Standards Committee;
6. have recommendations on file in the Education Office from both the major adviser and the content methods instructor (these recommendations must include the candidate’s GPA in his/her major);
7. meet with the Placement Supervisor of the Office of Field Experiences before October 1 (for those student teaching in Spring) or February 1 (for those student teaching in Fall) and complete an Application for Student Teaching (rather than wait for these deadlines, it is advisable to complete this application at least one semester before PS-III);
8. hold non-probationary status; and
9. when student teaching, a background check maybe required.

* See major department section for special methods courses.

Recommendation for Certification
In order to be recommended for certification, a candidate must have:

1. a bachelor’s degree, in an approved content area;
2. satisfactory student teaching recommendations from both the cooperating teacher(s) and university supervisor;
3. the following minimum GPA’s:
   
   • Education courses 2.8
   • All courses completed at the “c” level or above
   • Courses in the major 2.6
   • Overall cumulative 2.5
   • or
   • completed all competency plans and/or other activities prescribed by the Admissions and Scholastic Standards Committee;
4. taken the required exit exam(s), including the Praxis Principles of Teaching and Learning earning required cut score;
5. satisfactorily completed exit interview with Performance Portfolio and required projects in PS-III; and
6. applied for certification through the Certifying Officer in the College of Education and Counseling.

Education Curriculum for Teachers of  Academic Subjects

Professional Semester I

Professional Semester II 

Profession

Candidates in K-12 areas such as Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Art, Modern Language, and Music split their student teaching credits between SEED 488 and ELED 488.

In addition, the following courses must be successfully completed prior to entry into Professional Semester III:

Special Methods (varies by content area)	3	or	3
SPED 401, Introduction to Educating Secondary Students with Disabilities	1	or	1
EDFN 365, Computer Based Technology and Learning	2	or	2
EDFN 427, Middle School Philosophy and Application	2	or	2

Teaching Certificates

Teaching certificates are issued by state Departments of Education. The secondary certificate qualifies the holder to teach particular subjects in secondary and middle school/junior high grades. The K-12 certificate qualifies the holder to teach in kindergarten through high school. The certificate states the subjects or subject groups in which the individual may teach.

Placement Service

Placement information is available through the Career and Academic Placement (CAP) Center on the SDSU campus.

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